


Colourful

by misschevalier



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Finally, M/M, i'm sorry if I made you cry, it gets sad, let's say his parents are really assholes, like a lot, which I'm guessing they aren't of course
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-02
Updated: 2014-04-02
Packaged: 2018-01-17 23:17:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1406254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misschevalier/pseuds/misschevalier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin remembered that his family had never been happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Colourful

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: It gets sad. Sorry.

Gavin remembered that his family had never been happy.

It was the only thing he remembered perfectly from his childhood.

He remembered that his parents looked at him like he was something awful, which gave them heartache. Of course, he didn’t realise that until much later in life, so it didn’t quite phase him when he was younger.

He also remembered that when he was twelve, his parents told him that they were travelling to somewhere in the United States, deciding to move overseas because of his Father’s job, they told him, and he was extremely excited. He didn’t remember how many times he asked “Where are we going?” or “Are we there yet?”, but he bet his parents do.

He remembered what he got for his birthday: a colourful watch that actually worked with the numbers in black. It was a little loose for his wrist, but he didn’t care because it made him happy.

He remembered when his parents parked in a motel that looked nicer than the others they already passed, and when they walked to the lobby, Mum told him to wait on a chair while they went to grab the bags. He remembered when he sat down, he looked at his watch and he stayed there.

And waited.

He probably saw the male receptionist fall asleep at least five times.

And he waited.

It was getting darker and darker.

It was midnight, his parents didn’t come back, and he, with only a watch and his bag, was getting scared . He was alone in some place he didn’t know.

He didn’t cry, or at least he doesn’t remember if he did.

He remembered waking up the old man in the chair, telling him to call the number he had in his bag. He always had his parents’ number on his person just in case he was ever lost.  
  
Of course, he didn’t realise his parents had left him there because they didn’t want him. Maybe he was too young, or maybe he just ignored it.  
  
The man had to call a few times before someone actually answered, and his mum wept crocodile tears on the other end of the line , saying things like ‘We were looking for him, my child! We were so scared; oh, my sweet kid!’ Gavin knew that she was lying, but he didn’t say anything because she was hugging him harder than she ever had before.   
  
He still had his colorful watch even after he started living with his new parents Geoff and Griffon Ramsey. And it didn’t matter that they were so young; they were the most amazing parents on earth.  
  
They adopted him when he was fourteen, after his parents left the country without him, and he found himself alone in America. He spent a month without them before something in his mind clicked and said, ‘Hey, your parents didn’t love you, and they left. You should call the police because you can’t live by yourself, Gavino’. After a few foster homes, he found himself in the Ramsey’s house.  
  
He remembered that he cried the night because they were so nice with him. They hugged him, and they actually talked to him and asked if he was feeling well in the house. They asked him if he wanted to change his last name to “Ramsey” or keep the last name “Free”. He shyly replied that his name sounded weird with Ramsey, and Geoff laughed, saying that it was okay. They were amazing.

A few days later, Gavin was in Griffon’s arms and she told him, ‘We love you, Gavin; Geoff and I feel blessed to have you.” He couldn’t help but burst into tears, most likely because no one in his life had told him those words before. He had always heard his parents call him a ‘curse’, never a ‘blessing’. They made him so happy.

But he realised a few years later that he wasn’t complete.  
  
He needed to meet Michael Jones to be truly happy.   
  
Even if, at first, Michael Jones was an idiot.   
  
He was on the football team, and he was known as “The Raging Quarterback”. He got the nickname because he screamed and cussed until his lungs almost came out of his mouth at an opposing team member for giving his teammate a severe concussion.

And of course, he was popular as hell. He was an asshole, too; since classes started in August, Michael mocked Gavin’s watch at least fifteen times, and Gavin thought that Michael should receive an award for doing it on fifteen different occasions, some of which were during classes that they didn’t even have together.

Gavin hated him. Geoff’s friend, Burnie, told him that ‘hate’ was a very strong word just like ‘I love you’ was a very powerful one, but even before that talk, Gavin still hated him. But it was kind of good. He didn’t have a lot of friends, and having an enemy was quite lovely.

Gavin remembered the first time he got himself in trouble, and even though it wasn’t his fault, he still earned himself a ticket to ‘Detention’. And of course, he didn’t seem surprised when he saw Michael Jones sitting across the room, doing what looked like homework.

“Why are you here? Did you do something wrong, Michael Jones?” He asked, and he felt like he was in a movie, when the hero has a confrontation with the villain.  
  
Michael looked up and then answered, “I didn’t do anything; I just came and sat down here.”

And Gavin’s mind became blank. “What do you mean?”

“Wot do you mean?” He mocked, “I come here because people don’t talk. They’re quiet, you moron.”

“But in detention? You sit in detention to do homework.”

“Uh, duh.” Michael pointed his finger to the book and notebook in front of him.

“Why not the library?”

Michael looked at him with the most ‘you-are-annoying’ face and pointed a finger at him. “Look, pretty face, I do whatever I want, okay?”

And even when Gavin wanted to talk forever and ask him hundred and one questions, he shut himself up. Because, man, you didn’t usually get Michael Jones calling you ‘pretty face.’

Gavin didn’t know what he did to bother Michael the first time, but after the twentieth time Michael made a jab about the watch, he just snapped. His friends Miles and Monty grabbed him when he threw his bag back to the floor, almost running to punch Michael in the face before they kept him back. Michael just frowned at him with a face that says ‘why is he acting like that?’ even though he knew why.

Both of them got a week of detention because a teacher saw everything, and now they were sitting next to each other with faces of annoyance directed toward each other. “You didn’t have to make such a fuss.”

Gavin looked at him back and said, “I didn’t have to? You made fun of my watch all over the gaff since we started the bloody year; you have a problem with it?”

"You having a fucking childish watch isn’t my fault."

"It’s not a childish watch," he said even when it was kind of a true, but he didn’t bother to say a thing.

"Then what is it?" He asked, already annoyed. But Gavin didn’t answer. "Aw, the little kid is embarrassed because of it? You’re afraid someone will mock about it because it’s your baby watch? You’re not fucking serious, I mean -"

"My parents left me this on my twelfth birthday before-"

"Before what? They dumped your ass on the side of the road? Don’t fuck with me."

And Gavin shut himself up again because Michael was right. They had left him. Gavin was sure they had changed names and everything in order to forget the son they never wanted. He turned around, not looking at Michael. He muttered something like “Forget it” since he doesn’t have a reason for telling Michael Jones something about his life.

The week passed “as slowly as dicks”, as Geoff always said, and each day after classes, Gavin had to make his way down to the principal’s office, turn left, and walk into Room 204 . He entered, sat down, and waited (because it’s the only thing you can do in detention without getting yelled at by Mr. Sorola.)

A few minutes later, Michael entered and smiled to Mr. Sorola, who just sighed and muttered something like, “Kids these days,” before going back to play his DS again.

Anyway, Michael always sat next to him, always. Michael would get there and stare at him, sometimes trying to copy his homework, which is why he doesn’t do his homework or anything at all in detention. He knew that Michael was mad at him since the start of the week, especially when his coach gave him an ultimatum (“Jones, you better start behaving. If not, say goodbye to the important games.”). He didn’t blame Gavin for anything and Michael wasn’t sure if he should start worrying about it.

"Why do you have that watch?" Michael suddenly asked on a very hot Wednesday afternoon when Gavin was just drawing cubes all around a blank page in his notebook.

"I don’t know," he lied, knowing that he wore it in memory of his parents. False sentiment maybe.

"You’re an idiot." The way he said it didn’t feel like he was trying to verbally hurt him. It sounded as if he felt sorry for him, maybe. Why? He doesn’t know.

Friday afternoon was when everything took a turn because Michael entered wearing a Golden Eye shirt, and Gavin burst out, “THAT’S MY SHIRT!”, but he realised that he had that same shirt on his body.

They looked at each other and he could hear Michael’s sigh. “Well, shit, really Gavin Free?” (Gavin had no idea that Michael Jones knew his name, and for some reason, he smiled.)

Michael sat down next to him, and they got into a deep conversation about the video games. You could even see Mr. Sorola looking over his DS, silently taking interest in the conversation as well.

Gavin knew that he needed to hate Michael Jones; he was supposed to be the villain! Now he’s like his best friend, and he became frustrated and confused since he never had a best friend before.

They discovered that Ray was a mutual friend, as well as Monty, Miles, and even Mr. Haywood (because, fuck, he was twenty and a physics’ professor? Everyone kept saying he was crazy but awesome). This day for them was a 180° in their relationship; it was like when the killers in a movie happen to be the principal characters and you don’t know until the last seconds of it.

And Gavin and Michael thought the change in the relationship was for the better.

And it really was for the better until Gavin noticed how cute Michael’s dimples were and when Michael started to think Gavin’s laugh was just lovely.

That didn’t mean that they were friends forever or best friends or anything like that. It meant more like a mutual agreement of “I won’t bother you because of your watch”. Gavin was okay with it, and Michael was, too. And this was when they started to dance around each other, but they didn’t seem to notice.

Idiots.

It wasn’t until senior year that Ray realised he had to spend more time with his friends before college. With this thought, he started a ‘Game Night’ every Friday. Michael was a part of it, and so was Miles, JJ, John, Adam, Kerry, Barbara, Monty when he’s not working, sometimes Ryan, Joel, who was Ray’s neighbour, Caleb, and Gavin.

'Game Night' was something that had brought together Michael and Gavin once more. They were to the point where Gavin would say “Michael” but it sounded like “Micoo”. Everyone would repeat it to mock him, and Michael would just giggle, saying, “God dammit, Gavin.”

The thing is that they didn’t care for each other in school, since Michael was the popular kid and Gavin was just a geek who asked weird questions.

They started to know each other while playing. Michael now knew that Gavin didn’t know how to drive, neither in GTA IV nor in real life. Gavin knew that Michael was a lover of My Little Pony when he heard Ray and Michael discuss who was the better pony. Michael loved Banjo Kazooie; Gavin loved Slow Motion. Michael was from Jersey and the youngest in his family, and Gavin was from England with only a mum and a dad. Gavin thought Hitman was amazing; Michael was obsessed with Dead Space. Michael was called Mikey Wikey, and Gavin was Gavvy Wavvy. Gavin was annoying, and Michael got mad with video games.

They were happy with it, with each other.

But shit went down when Michael became curious about Gavin, and he realised that Gavin was something like handsome, even with that nose, that mess of hair, and even the fucking stupid laugh of his. He started to think of him as a mystery. He wore a stupid watch, he never talked about his parents, he just appeared in the middle of freshman year, he knew very little about his personal life, and that was weird in the group since everyone knew everything about each other.

They were sitting in Ray’s couch at dawn, and while everybody else was sleeping on the floor, they were playing Minecraft with split-screen. Their characters were just walking around the world, killing cows and stuff when Michael asked:

"Why do you wear that watch, Gavin?" The Creeper-skin character stopped walking in the game, and Michael turned around to see Gavin looking at him.

"Why do you ask?”

"I just realised that I know a lot of things about everyone but you."

"It was a birthday present."

"From your parents, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Twelfth birthday?"

"Uh-huh," he nodded softly and looked back at the game.

"I’m sorry for saying your parents left you on the side of the-"

"Michael."

"I’m serious Gavin, I’m sorry-"

"Michael, shut your bloody mouth." And he did, seeing how hard Gavin was holding the Xbox controler. Gavin got up quickly and grabbed his jacket, walking over the people on the floor. "Tell Ray I’m sorry for leaving early." He closed the door and left the apartment without another word.

It was Saturday afternoon when Michael talked to Ray. “He didn’t seem mad, but something’s wrong.” He knew that Ray would have an answer; he was like an encyclopaedia for people. You could ask him if he knew dirt about a person and he probably did.

Ray just looked at him after hearing everything and pointed at him with his fork, saying, “I’m going to tell you, but don’t tell Gavin I did.” For Gavin, it almost seemed like they had stepped into a mystery novella.

And Ray told Michael that Gavin was adopted, and his parents left him in a motel for his birthday with only the watch and his bag. They came back that day, but they left him completely alone in America after a few months. Even Ray knew it was awful.

It was almost two in the afternoon when Michael’s heart sank into a black hole in his chest. He felt awful because he mocked Gavin for having that watch so many fucking times, and he didn’t fucking know. He didn’t have any idea.

At the next ‘Game Night’, Gavin entered the room beaming like a ray of sunshine, and Michael just looked at him, wanting to hug him tightly. He wanted to hold him in his arms and mumble apologies as many times as he could. He also realised that he secretly wanted to kiss all over Gavin’s face until he was laughing and saying “Micoo!” like the idiot he is. His heart skips a bit after that.   
  
Gavin smiled at him, and Michael got up to put a hand on his shoulder, and Gavin asked him, “What’s wrong?”

"I shouldn’t have said those things to you, I’m sorry."

Gavin giggled and hugged Michael in happiness, resting his head on Michael’s shoulder and saying, “It’s okay!” Miles smiled at them and said something like, “Come on, lovebirds, let’s get this started,” but Michael was too happy to bother himself saying something indecent. What Michael didn’t see was Gavin punching Miles softly on the arm, blushing and murmuring something like, “Don’t call us that.”

Prom was getting closer and neither of them were excited. Ray was visiting New York that week, and almost everyone was walking in couples for the last week. Michael had spent all week thinking about it until one day he spat out before he could stop himself, “Gavin, let’s go to the prom.”

"With who, Michael?" the Britain asked.

"Let’s go like friends. You and I, Gavvy Wavvy."

"Fine, Mikey Wikey!" He smiled, bouncing in his seat. Michael didn’t regret saying that, but now he realised everyone would be there, including the football team and the rest of the school. Shit.

They rented tuxes, and that night, Michael drove to pick up Gavin from the Ramsey’s house, and he found Gavin running at his car at full speed, opening the door and sitting on the front sit as quickly as he could. “Go, Go!” Gavin screamed, and when he pulls out of the driveway, he saw from his rear-view mirror someone standing in the distance, and Gavin was laughing like crazy.

"What the hell, Gavin?!"

"It was my father. He wanted to give you “The Talk”, and I’m just saving you from that," he smiled and patted Michael’s shoulder. "You look quite handsome tonight."

Thank God it was dark, and Gavin couldn’t see Michael’s blush. Michael laughed softly. “Thanks, Gav, but I’ve always been this handsome.” Gavin laughed and kept smiling at him.

Gavin started talking about booze and how Barbara and Geoff were being all silly about the prom, each in their own ways. He started rambling, telling Michael that Geoff gave him until ten in the morning the next day to get home, but Michael was too immersed in his thinking to know exactly what he was talking about.

Michael remembered everything perfectly until midnight when Gavin called him to dance. They have been drinking cups of punch with some infiltrated booze, but just a little bit.

(Who am I lying to? Michael and Gavin had taken a lot of it, and oh, God.)

The next thing he remembered was that he was a little bit tipsy, and Gavin was laughing at him crazily, leaning into Michael’s side. He could hear a voice saying someone got another bottle. Of what? He didn’t know. Who was the voice? He didn’t know either.

Next thing he knew, he was kissing someone, and it was all hot and sticky, Hands were all over the place, and he could hear soft moans over his own thinking. It seemed like they were in a room, a motel room, maybe. There was a yellow light coming over the window, and he could hear a soft roar of cars outside.

Someone called his name, and he forgot what he was thinking. He started kissing the person again, and he felt perfect, even with all of the alcohol in his system. He felt he wouldn’t be able to breathe if he wasn’t touching the body under him, kissing it, biting it. He probably prefered this to be his first time than his actual first time because it was incredibly overwhelming, every touch. He just loved it, and when he realised all this, he said it softly, like a murmur.

“I love you.” Michael whispered, even when it wasn’t the whole truth. It’s the alcohol speaking, but there was something there.

They stopped, and Michael looked at the person under him with those hazel eyes he knew so very well, and it took his breath away when Gavin kissed him again, deeply, murmuring, “I love you, too,” one and twenty times after, moaning softly because Michael was kissing his chest and biting him hard.

And they did it, softly and tenderly, and he could hear Gavin calling his name so softly it seemed like he was praying, begging him for more. Gavin was sure he was drunk, but something in this moment made him sober up a little bit. He was sure he shouldn’t be begging for more, shouldn’t be digging his nails in Michael’s back and kissing him the way he was, but despite that, he just loved this moment.

He could barely see Michael’s face with the dim light that was coming from the window, but he thought Michael was gorgeous, as if a masterful artist had painted each beautiful freckle, and this left Gavin breathless.

He didn’t know he was crying until Michael’s kissed his wet cheeks because everything was so overwhelming and so perfect. He was so happy and drunk all at the same time; it didn’t seem possible. He was not thinking so much now; he can’t. He had Michael Jones all over him, and it was just simple thoughts such as, “I hate him” (even when his lips whispered an “I love you”) and “What am I doing?” and “Oh God.”

Everyone always said, “The night is young”, but for Gavin and Michael, it ended when the sun started to enter the room to illuminate it more and more. And you can see the mess on the floor: the shoes, the socks, the pants, the shirts and even his boxers had been flying out over different parts of the room, used condoms sitting in the nightstand.

In the bed, with sheets wrapped all around their bodies, their legs were tangled, and they were sleeping so peacefully until a ray of sun hit Michael’s face as if it was saying, “Wake up, motherfucker”. He stirred in his spot, opening his eyes slowly. He had a fucking headache that throbbed as if a hammer was smashing against his head repeatedly, but he almost jumped out the bed when he saw the other boy, sleeping next to him while using his arms as a pillow.

Some pieces of last night appeared in his mind, and he just thought, “Holy shit.” He didn’t believe in that ‘straight or bisexual’ stuff, but he was surprised he had something with Gavin Free. He smiled, almost giggling because it was amazing. God, he was shivering just remembering it.

He stayed there, looking at Gavin, and for some reason, he wanted to kiss his forehead and pull him into a hug. What Michael saw in Gavin was such a stark contrast from his original perception that it was quite an amazing sight for Michael to behold. “Hey,” Gavin said, looking at him with a soft smile in his face as if he was something beautiful.

“Hi,” Michael mumbled as he moved his thumb over Gavin’s hip, caressing the exposed skin that was tanner than his own. Gavin felt like he was in a movie where the principal characters have been dancing around their feelings for each other all throughout the movie, making advancements in their own way until they finally realise one night that they want something; they feel something for each other. “We were drunk as fuck.”

"Indeed," Gavin sighs, looking at him seriously.

"I don’t think I love you," Michael spits out suddenly.

"A friend told me that ‘love’ is a very strong word, so I believe you.’" Michael was a little shocked, not expecting such a calm answer.

"But I like you, a lot," Michael said.

Gavin nodded and curled closer to Michael, closing his eyes again. “Good. But you need to know, if you’re going to be with me, you shouldn’t be ashamed to be with me. You know, you’re the popular kid and everyone lov-”

"I’d never be ashamed for you. Don’t be silly."

For a few minutes they were in silence. “You wanted to know why I wear this watch. I think I need to tell you.”

Ray told me, you don’t need to worry. Before Michael thought about saying that, Gavin was speaking again, making him promise that he wouldn’t treat him differently than everyone else.

Michael debated with himself: should I start to treat him different? His only reason was guilty, and his only answer was yes. However, the only word that left his mouth was, “Promise,” yet his mind only said It’s a lie, and he would never know.

But even then he knew too little about how he truly felt. He thought that everything derived to good things.

And that’s when Gavin started talking to Michael about how he first lived in England with his parents. Then he told the motel story, including the importance of the watch. He talked of Alabama before moving on to Austin where he spent almost two years in those awful foster homes. Lastly, he told of how he finally found himself happy with Geoff and Griffon. Michael could hear the soft, broken voice that Gavin had when he started to talk about how he felt, what he thought, and how he never had told anyone this until right now.

And Michael was surprised how Gavin Free could smile all day in school and be a fucking annoying person. Now the same person was crying into his chest, and Michael was hugging him tightly.

And as Michael wanted, he hugged him hard, repeating, “Sorry” more than twenty times and kissing all over his face until Gavin laughed softly, saying that it tickled.

Michael was a bit of a liar who really liked Gavin, and Gavin was a broken heart who really liked Michael.

Indeed, they were a mess.

Gavin seemed to have fallen asleep when Michael realised that something was vibrating on the floor. Softly, he tried to search for it with his hand without bothering Gavin.

 

**TXT FROM GEOFF:**

_Where are you, Gavin? It’s almost ten!_

 

"Gav, I think Geoff’s mad."

With those words, Gavin jumped out the bed, taking the phone while he jumped around with only one foot in the correct hole, trying to get his pants on. Michael, on the other hand, was putting his clothes on slowly, taking his time. “Come on Michael, you need to take me home.”  
  
And he did it. He and Gavin sat in the car, and they sang some silly songs on the radio while Michael took him home. In the driveway, Gavin thanked him for everything and ran to his house. Michael sat there for some reason, as if he was waiting for something.

Then Michael heard a shout of “Gavin!” When he turned around, he saw Gavin running in his direction with Michael’s jacket fisted in his hand. He could see Geoff at the door, and, next thing Michael knew, Gavin was grabbing his cheek, making him turn around to the windows, and felt Gavin’s lips on his. Michael flushed from embarrassment because he was kissing Gavin in front of his father without shame, and it felt amazing.

"Thanks for the amazing night, love."

"Just get home already, you idiot."

He giggled, gave him a soft peck, and ran back to his father. Geoff had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at Michael. He moved his head with a gesture saying ‘Well?’, and Michael did the same in return before going back to his home with a smile on his face.

At the next ‘Game Night’, Gavin and Michael told the others, and everyone was happy for them. “Finally!” said Barbara, kissing Gavin’s cheek, and he just giggled because of the happiness running in his veins. They acted like a couple, and it felt so normal that nobody even commented on it.   
And it felt amazing.

But nothing endures forever.

That summer, after graduation, the couple were sitting on Gavin’s porch. Gavin was lying on the couch with his head on Michael’s lap, and Michael’s hand was on the brit’s hair. The Jersey Boy suddenly found that the silence had to be broken.

“I’m moving back to Jersey.”

Gavin sat up so quickly that Michael didn’t realize it until he had Gavin looking at him with wide eyes. “When?”

“My plane leaves next week,” Michael said, seeing his boyfriend’s broken expression. He looked away and then looked back at Michael, nodding. “Aren’t you mad?” the ginger teen asked.

“No. I was expecting it, really. College and all that stuff,” and he was calm. Michael’s heart hurt because he wasn’t expecting this kind of reaction at all. Michael held Gavin’s hand in his and pulled him into a kiss.

“I love you,” he whispered to him. “This time I mean it.” This was the first time Michael said it after that night, and he just couldn’t contain himself.

Gavin looked at him as if he was the most precious thing in the world and smiled, almost tearing up. Gavin’s thoughts were still I hate him so much, but his mouth just said, “I love you, too, and I truly mean it.”

They kissed again, and they promised each other to try the long-distance relationship. They didn’t doubt each other, not even a little bit. Because of this, when Michael had to leave, Gavin hugged him and kissed him so sweetly that Michael thought about backing out of going home and instead staying in Texas. Forever. With Gavin.

They muttered sweet words to each other, and Gavin asked him if he would flirt with other boys or girls when he got there. Michael giggled and answered “How could I if I have you with me?”

And Gavin giggled. “You’re an idiot, Michael Jones.”

“But I’m your idiot, Gavin Free.”

For two years, they continued to talk, and they called each other as much as they could and texted each other every day. Even though they missed each other terribly, they still knew that their other half was in another state, waiting. Just thinking about it, Michael’s heart felt warmer.

But it was one day that he got a text from Gavin, the last one.

 

**TXT FROM GAVVY:**

_I want to break up with you._

 

Michael at first panicked . Had he done something wrong? Had he said something that hurt him? After that, his panic grew into anger, followed shortly by sadness. He hated himself for feeling all of those things at the same time. After days and days of heartache and pain, though, the only answer he gave was:

 

**TXT TO GAVVY:**

_Okay._

 

**TXT FROM GAVVY:**

_Okay._

 

Since that day, he didn’t hear anything from Gavin. He tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. He tried with e-mail, with cards, and even called Ray, but the other didn’t know anything, the same as Barbara. Then Michael Jones made a decision. He would continue his life.

And he did.

He learned about Lindsay a few months later, and he couldn’t even contain the feelings he had for her. She was amazing, that laugh of hers was lovely, and the way she would smile at him when he was ‘angry’ at her, and just her in general, was precious. Michael ‘really liked’ Lindsay. And he just hoped she thought the same about him.

Luckily, she did.

A year later, she and Michael were walking on one of Austin’s more bustling streets while celebrating their anniversary. (They had moved back to Texas since they felt it was more like home than Jersey.) She was saying something about their job, but Michael suddenly stopped listening when he saw him.

Gavin was sitting on a bench with someone else, a boy with black hair, and he looked bigger and taller than Gavin. Michael wanted to think those two were friends, but the way he was talking with Gavin seemed like they were more than friends.

Gavin giggled at something the boy had told him, and Michael noticed how thin he was, how little energy Gavin had, as if plagued by perpetual exhaustion. Michael even asked himself if he should go and talk with him out of concern for his wellbeing.

“Are you okay, Michael?” Lindsay asked, squeezing his hand softly. He nodded and told her that he thought he saw someone he knew, not wanting to give her an explanation. He turned and didn’t look back at the bench.

He just kept walking with his girlfriend as if nothing had happened.

Months passed, and he proposed to her while they were visiting New York.

She said ‘yes’, and Michael couldn’t be happier.

A few months later, Michael was driving, looking for some place called the Fort, because his boss had decided to make him the ‘errand boy’ for today. When he finally found it, he saw the wood sculptures that were decorating the whole yard, and for some reason, they seemed familiar.

Michael walked to the warehouse and thought that no one was there until he heard a chainsaw sound, and at the back of the warehouse, he could see someone cutting a piece of wood. The woman using the chainsaw stopped when she saw him, and when she took out her mask, he gasped.

“Michael?”

Oh fuck.

“Griffon?”

“Oh god, Michael,” she smiled at him and hugged him. Then, she apologized for the bewildered look on her face, and Michael only chuckled at her. “How have you been?”

“Fine, fine. I’m working downtown with, well, my fiancée and some friends from the school.” He stumbled over telling her about Lindsay, but the way she smiled and congratulated him shocked him because Michael was obviously not expecting it. At that moment, Michael realised that Gavin got that quality from Griffon: to react differently than expected. He, though surprised at his personal revelation, stuttered and asked, “How- how are you? Geoff?”

“We’re both fine. We moved, and now we have a kid, uh, a daughter.” Michael smiled at her and said that Gavin would be in love with her and be a lovely big brother. Griffon’s smile dropped a little bit, and she played with the mask in her hands.

“Yeah, I imagine he would have been a good big brother.”

“What you mean ‘would have’?” Michael frowned at her. “He doesn’t know about it?”

Griffon bit her lip and sat on one of the tree trunks that she had nearby. She took a deep breath, and Michael sat next to her, asking what was wrong. “I guess you don’t know.”

“I don’t know about what?” He was confused.  
Griffon played with her wedding ring and looked at Michael. “Gavin passed away a few years ago. It still hurts as if it was yesterday. He just saw his sister once when she was born,” she said as Michael noticed that she was trying her best to not tear up.

She remembered the way Gavin held his little sister in his hands as if she was the most beautiful thing in the world, and how she held his finger in her little hand, and how Gavin chuckled and said, “Hey there, love. I’m your big brother.”

“He was sick. We tried everything, but I guess it was his time.”

Michael took a deep breath and put his hand over his face. He hadn’t known anything. He thought that Gavin was still that silly boy he knew at high school, the one that had owned his heart and the same boy that just suddenly disappeared. “It was five years ago when they diagnosed him?” the ginger asked sullenly.

“How do you know?” Griffon responded. Michael sighed, and groaned into his hands. He explained the break-up to her, and she chuckled sadly. “He was an idiot,” she said as she sighed and looked at Michael. “I’m sorry; I guess he didn’t want to worry you.”  
  
“No, no. I-I’m sorry for your loss.” He gave her a quick smile, and she pulled closer to him with an arm around his shoulders. She said, “It’s okay.”

“He had someone with him when he died?”

“Dan. Gavin was sleeping when it happened. We weren’t there.” Michael frowned at the name and asked who he was. “Oh, he was his boyfriend. He’s a sweetheart. Now he’s working in the British army. He comes here every now and then to see how we are.”

Michael and Griffon sat there in silence for a few minutes. She was trying not to tear up, and Michael tried not to feel the way he was feeling, as if an anvil fell on his chest. She asked him why he was here, and Michael remembered he needed to give her the package that his boss sent to her. He left the package in the warehouse and took a minute to compliment Griffon’s work. She thanked him and asked if she would see him soon.

“I’d like to meet your fiancée,” she smiled. “I hope it’s not weird.”

“Not at all,” Michael smiled back, telling the truth. Griffon was always very loving to him. When Gavin and he were boyfriends and even afterwards. Griffon’s face lit up, and she raised one finger up, giving an indication to pause, before she ran to the warehouse, leaving Michael with a confused face.

“Gavin said you always made a fuss over it, so I guess you should have it,” and then he saw it. The watch. The stupid, colourful watch with black numbers that he always made fun of, the watch that Gavin always wore. Michael held it in his hand as if it was a jewel, staring at it reverently; it was Griffon who brought him back to the reality. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes. Thank you,” Michael said. She smiled and waved at him when he left.

Michael returned to his job, and he sat there in the car, looking at the watch. Michael had his hands in fists and started hitting the steering wheel, and he realised he was crying. He felt like a child, as if he didn’t know what to do with himself, so he rested his forehead against his fists and tried to breathe. He jumped when Lindsay knocked on the window, looking at him worryingly. He opened the door and jumped into her arms, hiding his face against the crook of her neck.

She didn’t ask what was wrong until he actually calmed down. He didn’t even realise that now he was sitting on the couch of their office, and he saw Miles and Ray looking at him worryingly, too.

He didn’t say anything to them immediately, only showing them the watch, and they understood. “He died,” he muttered and pressed his palms against his eyes. Ray gasped, and Miles only sat down on a chair, looking troubled. Lindsay understood, somehow.

Michael started using the watch on his wrist, and no one asked why. They all understood, and Lindsay didn’t care as long he was happy.

“He really loved you, mate,” he heard an accented voice and saw Dan, sitting next to him with a beer in his hand. It was New Year’s Eve and they were in his boss Burnie’s backyard celebrating. When he saw Griffon and Geoff coming with a girl on his arms, he got excited and presented Lindsay to them. Griffon and Lindsay started talking as soon as they could. Geoff hugged him and asked how he was, they chatted for a while before they were separated in the party, leaving him alone with Dan now.

“Excuse me?” Michael looked at Dan, frowning. Dan took a swig of his beer and looked back at him.

“Gavin. He really loved you,” Michael looked wide eyes at him, expecting maybe that he would be mad at him for stealing his boyfriend’s mind even when he was with him. “I’m not mad at you. I’m here, just to tell you that, maybe.”

Michael opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He tried again, “Did he talk about me?”

“A bit, he was really sorry for what he did to you.” Michael looked at the watch and noticed it was almost midnight. “It could be weird, but he made me promise that if I talked to you once, I would make sure that you were happy.”

Michael looked up at Lindsay, who was laughing with a group of girls, and he looked back at Dan. “I’m happy. You don’t have to worry.” Dan smiled at him and raised his bottle.

“Cheers.” Michael raised his bottle too, and smiled at Dan, hitting their bottles together. Both of them turned around when a girl came up to them, calling for Dan. She introduced herself as Jane.

“Michael, nice to meet you,” she said and smiled. Then she started to say a bunch of stuff, but he only understood “D, it’s almost twelve!” Dan got up and waved at Michael. Not so long after, Lindsay found Michael, pulling him by the hoodie he was wearing. He wrapped an arm around Lindsay’s waist and kissed her cheek. She had a sparkler in her hand when everyone started counting down.

When everyone cheered at “One”, Michael pressed his lips against his wife, muttering against her lips a ‘Happy New Year,’ and she smiled back, caressing his curls and kissing him again. They stayed there, looking up into the darkness and seeing all the fireworks illuminating the sky.

Michael, for some reason, looked back at the crowd of people around them, and when he turned back, he saw him.

It was Gavin smiling at him, the same Gavin he fell in love with. He was giggling, wearing Michael’s jacket, his quarterback jacket. He looked handsome.

Michael knew he was seeing things, but he didn’t move and smiled at Gavin. He pointed at the watch on his wrist. Gavin pulled up his wrist, smiling and showing off the same watch. The same stupid colourful watch.

Michael almost giggled. Then he moved his head like he was pointing at Lindsay. Gavin moved over and looked at her, then nodded at him with a smile. Then Gavin stood there and mouthed an ‘I love you’ at him. Then he blushed and hid his hands in the jacket’s pockets.

Michael smiled widely and mouthed back ‘I love you, too.’ They stood there looking at each other for what seemed like forever until he felt Lindsay’s elbow prod his ribs.

“Are you flirting with someone?” Lindsay asked, looking where Gavin was. He turned back to her, and looked back to where Gavin was standing.

He wasn’t there anymore.

“How could I if I have you with me?” He smiled at her and kissed her sweetly.

“You’re an idiot,” she giggled.

He, for some reason, felt happy.

“But I’m your idiot.”

Happier than ever.

She giggled again, and Michael held her close.

This would be a good year.

**Author's Note:**

> THANKS TO AVERY AND KRIS, YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST THING IN THE WOLRD. ♥  
> Also, this work was sadly inspired by a nightmare at first, but I guess I got carried way with it.
> 
> Btw, you can find me on [Tumblr.](http://somespontaneouswriting.tumblr.com/)


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